Machine for sewing flat buttons to fabrics



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J.H.MORLEY.

MACHINE FOR SEWING FLAT BUTTONS T0 FABRICS.

No. 253,618. "Patented Feb. 14.1882.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. H. MORLEY.

MACHINE FOR SEWING FLAT BUTTONS T0 FABRICS.

Patented Feb. 14, 1882.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. H. MORLEY.

MACHINE FOR SEWING FLAT BUTTONS TOFABRIGS. No. 253,618. Patented Feb.14.18822.

N. PETERS. Pholwhlhogmphcr. Wnshinglon. D. c.

' of the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EFICE.

JAMES H MORLEY, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE MORLEY SEWINGMACHINE COMPANY, OF MAINE.

MACHINE-FOR SEWING FLAT BUTTONS To FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,618, datedFebruary'lfl, 1882.

- Application filed March 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES H. MORLEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Sewing Flat or Drilled-Eyed Buttons ontoFabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the details of construction of a needle-feedsewing-machine in which an eyed needle and a hook-needle are used incombination with a loop-carrier operating above the work and at rightangles to the "ertical line in which the needles move when they passthrough the fabric, the object being to sew buttons onto fabrics bycarrying a double thread from the under side of said fabric up through abutton and across that part of the button between the holes therein, andthence down through the fabric, and so sewing on one button afteranother in a line with a continuous thread,and to feed said fabric alongto place said buttons at any desired distance one from the other.

In the drawings forming part of this speciffication, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a sewingmachine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the same with the front plate of the machine removed.Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the pivoted needle-bar case detached fromthe machine. Fig. 4 is a rear isometric view of the pivoted needle-barcase and a portion of its operating devices, and showing part of theframe of the machine in dotted outlines. Fig. 5 is aplan view. Fig. 6 isa plan view of the end of a needle-bar. Fig. 7 represents aneedle-adjusting block. Fig. Sis a view showing the position of theloop-carrier with the loop of the thread carried from the eyed needleacross the path of the hook-needle after the eyed needle has reached itshighest point and been retracted to throw out the loop. Fig. 9 is a planview Fig. 10 is a view of the parts show in Fig. Safterthe hook-needlehas reached its highest point and the needles in feeding have movedsomewhat away from the loopcarrier. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 12 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 8

at the conclusion of the feed-motion, the loopca-rrier having moved backand the needles ton. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the same, showing in adotted line the position of the next button. Fig. 14 is a view of theposition of the parts shown in Fig. 8 after the stitch through thebutton is completed. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the top side of thefabric with a row of buttons sewed on, and Fig. 16 is a view of theunder side of the same.

Like letters and numerals refer to like parts in the several figures.

In the drawings, A is the frame of the machine. B is the driving-shaft.D is a drivingpulley having a cam-groove formed in one side ofit. (Shownin dotted lines in Fig.1.) a isa feedlever cam on shaft B. a is acrank-disk, also on shaft B, carrying a crank-pin, e. b is a feed-leverpivoted to frame-A. c is a feedlever stud adjustable vertically in aslot in lever b. dis a needle-bar case pivoted to frame A at 2. f is avertical slotted arm on the needle-bar case d. g is a front cap securedupon the end of the machine and over the needlebar case and its parts. his a short arm on the edge of cap 9, in which is a set screw, 1',adjustable to and from the edge of the needle-bar case over which itsstands. The front face of the needle-bar case (I is grooved verticallyto receive the flat needle-bars 3 4 and the cast-oft bar 5. Anadjustable screw, 6, is set in the edge of the needle bar case andoperates against a spring between its point and the side of the cast-offbar, as shown in Fig. 2, to retain the cast-off barclosely in position.Said needlebars, as aforesaid, are fiat and lie one against the other,as shown in the several figures. The inner one, 4, has secured in itsend the eyed needle 7, and the outer one, 3, carries the hookneedle 8.Through each of said needle-bars is cut a crank-pin slot,'9, inneedle-bar 3, and the one in bar 4 is shown in dotted lines on said bar3 in Figs. 2 and 3. The rear side of the needle-bar case (1 next to thecrank-disk a is cut away to permit the end of the crank-pin e to entersaid slots, first passing through that in bar 4 and next entering thatone in bar 3, as shown, and to move in a circle around the axis of theshaft B, and thus cause vertical reciprocatin g motions to be given toboth of said needle-bars in the order described hereinafter.

In Fig. 6 is shown enlarged a plan view of the adjusting-screw i.

enlarging the chamber in the'end of the needle-bar which receives theshank of the needle, so that with said needle-shank there may be placedin said chamber one or more blocks, w, properly grooved to have theneedle-shanks fit them. Thus, if it be desired to move the needle 8 tothe right, the block w beyond the needle is removed and placed in thatposition occupied by the needle, said needle will take a position equalto they thickness of the removed block farther away from the left sideof the bar, and vice versa.

The cast-off 5 is operated by any of the wellknown devices employed forthat purpose.

A spring, 10, secured to frame A, bears against the needle-bar case tothrow it toward A presser-foot bar, 12, is fitted in frame A, carrying,by the aid ofa spring, 13, the presserfoot or up against the under sideof the needleplate 14.

A presser-bar-moving lever, t, of ordinary construction, is pivoted inthe frame A, as shown in Fig. 2.

Any suitable take-up may be used with this machine.

A bar, It, is fitted to be operated with vertical reciprocatingmovements in frame A by its connection, by means of a stud, o, in itslower end, with the cam-groove in the side of pulley D, the end of saidstud 0 being adapted to enter said cam-groove.

An elhow-lever,n, is, pivoted to .frame A, as shown in Fig. 1, and itsends are slotted and engage, one with a pin in the side of the bar k andone with a pin in the side of a horizontal loop-carrier bar, 8, adaptedto have a reciprocating longitudinal motion on the top of frame; A. Toone end of said. bar 8 is. attached a loopcarrier, 12, of the form shownin the several figures, and adapted to have its downhan-ging point 2carried back and forth by the ends of the needles, as hereinafterdescribed.

A needle-plate, 14, is secured to frame A, and has a slot, 21, made init, at the base of which a small point projects between theneedles 8 and7, as shown in Fig. 5.

The operation of my machine in sewing flat or drilled-eyed buttons ontofabrics is as follows: First, the degree of feed-movement of the needlesis fixed by determining the oscillatory movement ofthe needle-bar caseat on its pivot at 2 in frame A. The starting-point of the feed-motionis from the position the needles. are shown in Fig. 5, and theadjustment of the feed is to determine the distance said needles shallswing from said point in Fig. 5 toward the open end of slot 21 in thecloth-plate 14.

The feed-lever bis vibrated on its pivot by the action of cam a on shaftB against the lower end of said lever. The stud 0 is secured adjustablyin the upper end of said lever, and its free end enters a vertical slot,22, in the end of arm f on the needle-bar case d. The adjusting-screw iin arm h, Fig. 1, is turned against the edge of the needle-case untilthe points of the needles will move up through the needleplate about atthe base of the slot 21 in the needle-plate, as shown in Fig. 5. Thefabric to which the buttons are to be sewed is placed between theneedle-plate and the presser-foot, the needles at this time standingquite down out of the way.

The eyed needle is threaded as in an ordinary machine, the thread beingdrawn from a spool over any suitable intermediate tension device. Now,by slightly turning shaft B the needle-bar 4, carrying the threaded-eyedneedle, isfirst moved up through the fabric, and

the needle-bar 3, carrying the hook-needle, then begins to move up vandpasses through. the fabric, the eyed needle having reached its highestpoint. Shaft B is now stopped, and a button is placed by hand or by theuse of some suitable feeding device down over the points of the twoneedles vupon the fabric. Shaft B is again started, and the eyed needlefirstbegins to draw downward outof the fabric. This movement causes aloop to be formed on the. side of the needle above the button. As soonas said loop is thrown out the loop-carrier moves, across the path ofthe eyed needle, catching upon its point said loop and carrying itacross the path of the hook-needle, whose point has risen high enough tointercept the lower part of the loop. The relative positions of theneedles, the loop-hook, and loop at the above-described period in theoperation of the said parts, is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. Themachine now feeds by the swing of the needlebar case d and the needlescarrying the fabric with the button along toward the open end of theslot 2L. As the points of the needles swing under the loop-carrier infeeding, as just described, the end of the hook-needle rises farther upand presses against the lower part of the loop, its upper part beingheld back by the loop-carrier, and both needles have risen to an equalheight, and the hook-needle has been carried so high through the loopthat the latter passes around it below its hook, and the loop andneedles are in the positions shown in Figs. 10 and ll. The loop carriernow moves back toward its starting -point, the points of the needles, asabove described, having been by the feed-motion, as above described,swung beyond and across the track of said loop-carrier, thus causingsaid loopcarrier on its back stroke to pass behind them, whereas on itsforward stroke it passes in front of them, thereby carrying the loopover the hook-needle. The eyed needleis moving downward while themachine feeds its length of stitch, passing out of the. fabric, leavingthe loop over the hook-needle, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the loopbeing drawn into the hook by the action of a proper take up and heldthere until it passes down throughthe button and fabric, as shown inFig. 14,when the thread is slackened. The hook-needle now passes quiteout of the fabric, drawing the loop with it. The needle-frame now swingsback to its starting-point, bringing the points of the nee- 1o dlesagain in proper position to move up again through the fabric.

A cast-off, 5, or one such as is used on an ordinary wax-threadsewing-machine, isemployed to cast the loop off from the hook-nee- I5dle, when the second and succeeding stitches are made in like manner asthe first, except that in making the subsequent stitches the hook-needlepasses up through a previouslymade loop.

Figure 15 illustrates the appearance of the top side of a strip offabric upon which buttons have been sewed, as just described, and Fig.16 illustrates the under side of said fabric, showingthe appearance ofthe stitch thereupon.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, in a needle-feedmachine for sewing fiat or drilled-eyed buttons to fabrics, with an eyedneedle and a hookneedle, two independent needle-bars, a pivoted needle-0 bar case carrying both needle-bars side by side, and operatingmechanism, of a loop-carrier located above the work on the cloth-plateto move forward and back across the line of the feed-motion of saidneedles, substantially 3 5 as set forth.

2. The combination, in a needle-feed sewing-machine, of the needle-barcase d, pivoted in frame A, a hook-needle and an eyed needle,

two needle-bars standing side by side, and of appliances, substantiallyas described, for imparting to said needle-bars differential verticalmovements, and for imparting to said needlebar case a vibratory movementin said frame, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a sewing-machine, with a movable needle-bar case,of the crankdisk a, having fixed in it the crank-pin e, and

.two needle-bars having camslots in them of varying form, in both ofwhich slots said crankpin operates simultaneously, substantially as setforth.

4. The combination, with the needle-bar case pivoted to frame A, andhaving the slotted arm f thereupon, of the feed-lever b, having the studc adjustablysecured thereto. cam a on shaft B, and spring 10,snbstantiallyas set forth.

5. In a needle-feed sewing-machine, the combination with two independentneedle-bars arranged side by side, and mechanism to operate saidneedle-bars vertically, and needle-feed mechanism, substantially asdescribed, of a loop-carrier to catch and hold the thread-loop while theends of the needles swing away from it, substantially as set forth.

6. The combinatiomin a sewing-machine, 0

two needle-bars, a hook-needle and an eyed needle, and operatingmechanism, of a movable needle-bar case and feed mechanism, and of aloop-carrier having a reciprocating movement across the line of movementof said needles, substantially as set forth.

' JAMES H. MORLEY. Witnesses:

H. A. GHAPIN, J. D. GARFIELD.

